Threat Intelligence Feeds: Ultimate Guide for CISOs

A threat intelligence feed is a database for cyberattacks, updated daily or weekly or even hourly with the latest threats.

This is an extremely helpful way to keep up on the latest trends, news, and stories on cybersecurity across the industry!

And keeping your organization up-to-date with the latest developments in the threat landscape can mean the difference between a user reporting a phishing attack or falling prey to a malicious link.

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What is a threat intelligence feed?

Are you familiar with newsfeeds? Then you're most of the way to understanding what a threat intelligence feed is.

Where a newsfeed is a constantly updated, chronological (i.e. new-stuff-at-the-top) list of news from various sources, a threat intelligence feed is that but specifically for cyberthreats.

A threat intelligence feed delivers real-time data about current and emerging cybersecurity threats.

These feeds aggregate threat data from a variety of sources, including cybersecurity vendors, government agencies, dark web monitoring, and open-source intelligence, providing a comprehensive view of the threat landscape.

There are three types of threat intelligence feeds: tactical, operational, and strategic.

• Tactical threat feeds consist of detailed low level information, such as IP addresses, domains, hashes and other values. This type of feed updates often and the value of the information often decays just as quickly.
• Strategic threat intelligence feeds focus mainly on larger trends and will be an invaluable tool for those looking to keep a birds-eye view on the threat landscape, but this typeof feed alone might not be a great fit for IT or in-the-trenches cybersecurity professionals unless combined with more tactical feeds to offer a bigger picture.
• Operational threat intelligence feeds split the difference between tactical and strategic and go right down the middle: they offer a lower volume of news but go more in-depth with the “how” aspect of breaches by reporting on the tools used in the incidents themselves, giving valuable knowledge for day-to-day cybersecurity professionals looking to stay one step ahead of the enemy

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What's the value of having a threat intelligence feed?

The value of a threat intelligence feed lies in its ability to enhance your cybersecurity defenses proactively.

They're not a crystal ball, but having a continuous stream of actionable intelligence helps businesses stay ahead of evolving threats.

This means Security Teams can reduce the likelihood of breaches and minimize potential damage if an attack does happen to be successful.

• Organizations using threat intelligence reduce incident response time by 54% on average. (Vorecol)
• Network analysis is estimated to save organizations an average of $1.5 million annually. (Ponemon)
• Organizations leveraging threat intelligence see a 30% reduction in the number of security incidents (Gartner).
• 70% of organizations report improved decision-making in security operations when using threat intelligence. (Forrester)
• Companies with threat intelligence feeds report a 40% improvement in their ability to anticipate and defend against advanced threats. (Cybersecurity Insiders)

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Why are threat intelligence feeds relevant for CISOs?

SOC teams rely on threat intelligence feeds for real-time insights into potential threats.

These feeds provide data that help analysts identify and mitigate threats before they can cause significant damage.

By integrating these feeds into security tools such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems, firewalls, and IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems), SOC Teams can automatically block or mitigate threats based on the latest intelligence.

But although threat intelligence feed will mostly be used by your Security Operations Team... they also play a significant role for CISOs 👇

Informed decision-making

Threat intelligence feeds give you real-time data about emerging threats, attack vectors, and vulnerabilities.

This means as a CISOs, you can make better informed decisions about which security measures to prioritize and allocate resources to the most significant risks facing your organization.

A study by Accenture found that 68% of breaches were discovered within days due to timely threat intelligence

Example

During the 2020 SolarWinds cyberattack, for example, many organizations were alerted to the breach through threat intelligence feeds that reported on unusual network traffic patterns.

Proactive risk management

Staying updated with the latest threats will allow you to anticipate and counter potential threats.

Being able to see what's on the horizon will buy you the time needed to shore up defenses.

Example

In 2021, there was a significant rise in ransomware attacks, with an eye-watering 151% increase.

Organizations using threat intelligence feeds were able identify this trend early, allowing them to strengthen their defenses against ransomware specifically, saving millions in potential damage.

Compliance and risk management

As a CISOs, you're responsible for ensuring that their organizations comply with various regulations.

Threat intelligence feeds help identify vulnerabilities that could lead to non-compliance and provide evidence that proactive measures are being taken to secure the organization’s data.

Example

Under GDPR, British Airways was fined £20 million in 2020 after a data breach that compromised the personal information of more than 400,000 customers.

A well-integrated threat intelligence feed might have detected the suspicious activities sooner, potentially preventing the breach and the associated penalties.

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How do threat intelligence platforms work?

Data is collected across a variety of sources

Threat intelligence feeds gather data from a wide variety of sources, including open-source intelligence (OSINT), dark web monitoring, honeypots, security incidents reported by various organizations, and commercial threat intelligence providers.

They may also use webcrawlers, which are like tiny internet robots that look only for what you tell them to.

The type data collected includes indicators of compromise (IoCs) such as malicious IP addresses, domain names, URLs, file hashes, malware signatures, and more.

This data is then aggregated and normalized

• Aggregation: The collected data is aggregated from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive view of threats. This helps in identifying patterns and correlations that may not be evident from a single source.
• Normalization: The raw data is then processed and normalized into a standardized format. This step is crucial because it ensures consistency and makes the data usable across different security tools and platforms.

Potential threats get analyzed

The data is enriched with additional context, such as the threat actor's profile, attack vector, and the potential impact of the threat.

This helps in understanding the relevance and severity of the threat.

Analysts or automated systems correlate the threat data with existing incidents or vulnerabilities within the organization.

For operational threat feeds, oftentimes a team will run malware within a safe electronic sandbox in order to find out what its true threat properties are and how it works.

Threat intelligence is then distributed and shared around

The processed threat intelligence is distributed to various security tools and platforms such as SIEM systems, IDS's, and firewalls.

Threat intelligence feeds are often shared across organizations and within industries to create a collective defense mechanism.

This can involve participating in Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) or other collaborative networks.

Insights are also turned into actionable intelligence

Security tools use the threat intelligence data to automatically block or mitigate threats.

For example, a SIEM system might automatically quarantine a file or block a malicious IP address based on the intelligence received.

This intelligence gets used by humans too.

Security analysts might also use threat intelligence to inform their investigations, prioritize incidents, and make informed decisions about threat mitigation strategies.

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Threat intelligence feeds use cases

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How can CISOs maximize ROI and turn threat intelligence feeds into actionable defense strategies?

Integrate with existing security infrastructure

Centralized threat management

Integrate threat intelligence feeds with existing security tools like SIEMs, IDS/IPS, and endpoint protection platforms.

This ensures that the intelligence is automatically applied to enhance detection and response capabilities.

Automation

Use automation to correlate threat data with internal logs and alerts, reducing the time between threat detection and response.

This can help in mitigating threats more efficiently and reducing the workload on your Security Team.

Tailor threat intelligence to your organization

Contextual relevance

Customize the threat intelligence feeds to focus on threats specific to the organization’s industry, geographical location, and technological environment.

Prioritization

Implement a prioritization framework to focus on high-impact threats that are most likely to affect the organization.

Share insights across your organization

Engage with other teams/functions

Collaborate with departments like IT, compliance, and risk management, to ensure that threat intelligence is utilized effectively across your organization.

Make sure insights are actually being used to align security measures with broader business objectives.

Training and awareness

Provide regular training to ensure that security teams and other relevant stakeholders understand how to interpret and act on threat intelligence.

Insights can also be used to feed back into your employee security training so that they're up-to-date with the latest threats and attack methods.

Use threat intelligence for strategic planning

Scenario planning and phishing simulations

Use threat intelligence to inform scenario planning and conduct phishing simulations of potential cyber attacks..

Long-term threat monitoring

Beyond immediate threats, you can use this intelligence to track long-term trends and emerging threats.

This can guide strategic decisions such as investments in new security technologies or shifts in security policies/training.

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A few examples of threat intelligence feeds to get started:

• FBI's InfraGard
• CISA's Automated Indicator Sharing
• Google's SafeBrowsing Concept
• SANs Internet Storm Center

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What should you look for when shopping around for solutions?

Can you get industry-specific intelligence? Ensure the threat intelligence feed provides data that is relevant to your industry. Different sectors face different types of threats, so the feed should include intelligence that addresses these specific risks.

Does it cover your geographic needs? Consider whether the feed includes intelligence pertinent to the regions where your organization operates. Threat actors often target specific geographic areas.

Do you get comprehensive threat coverage? The solution should offer coverage across various threat vectors, including malware, phishing, insider threats, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).

Does the vendor have a reputation for accuracy? Look for feeds that are known for their high accuracy and low false positive rates. Inaccurate or outdated data can lead to unnecessary alerts and wasted resources.

Is it compatible with your existing tools? The solution you choose should easily integrate with your existing security infrastructure, such as SIEM systems, IDS/IPS, and firewalls.

Can the solution scale alongside your business? Ensure the solution can scale with your organization’s growth and evolving security needs. This includes the ability to handle increasing data volumes and expanding coverage areas as needed.

Does it comply with regulations you're subject to? Check if the solution helps in meeting specific regulatory requirements applicable to your organization, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS.

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What about phishing threats?

Many threat intelligence feeds include data on phishing threats, such as known phishing URLs, domains, and email addresses used in phishing campaigns.

Some advanced threat intelligence feeds also provide information on phishing kits (tools used to create phishing pages) and details on specific phishing campaigns targeting certain industries or organizations.

But while threat intelligence feeds do provide valuable data on phishing threats, there  are extra steps you can take to stay ahead of the latest attack tactics.

Here are a few extra strategies you can use to prevent phishing attacks

Spam filters and anti-phishing tools

Dedicated email security solutions, like secure email gateways, often include advanced spam filters, machine learning models, and anti-phishing features that are specifically designed to detect and block phishing emails.

DMARC, DKIM, and SPF

Implementing email authentication protocols like DMARC, DKIM, and SPF can help prevent email spoofing, a common technique used in phishing attacks.

Web filtering

Implement web filtering solutions that block access to known phishing sites based on threat intelligence or other real-time sources.

Phishing reporting tools

Provide employees with tools to easily report phishing attempts.

Many email clients and security solutions offer one-click reporting features (like Hoxhunt) that help security teams quickly analyze and respond to potential threats.

Industry-specific threat sharing

Participate in industry-specific information sharing and analysis centers (ISACs) or similar groups.

These organizations often share timely information on phishing threats targeting specific sectors.

Security awareness training

Most breaches are due to human error.

So make sure employees are equipped with skills and know-how needed to spot and report threats.

For training to actually have any meaningful impact, it needs to be:

• Frequent: To build habits, your training will need to be consistent.
• Digestible: We recommend keeping training between 5-7 mins each time.
• Personalized: Make sure training is actually relevant to the role, location and skill level of those receiving it.
• Gamified: Gamified cyber security training works. To engage employees, use things like points, badges and leaderboards.

Phishing simulations

Raising awareness alone is rarely enough to reduce human risk.

The only way to measure how effective your training is by using simulations.

Phishing simulation training will give you a picture of of your organization's security posture and any vulnerabilities you may have. 

Even with cutting-edge threat intelligence, your organization's human firewall is going to be your last line of defense against attacks.

Does your phishing training cover the latest cyber threats?

We broke down the essential threats you need to cover here.

Below you can see exactly how our adaptive phishing training approach impacts bottom line metrics 👇

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🚨 Warning: threat intelligence feeds do have blind spots

There can be a lag in reporting

There can be a time lag between when a threat bypasses security measures and when it's identified and reported in threat intelligence feeds.

During this window, other organizations might be vulnerable to the same threat.

You might miss some emerging threats

If a new threat or technique hasn't been widely detected or reported yet, it might not appear in threat intelligence feeds immediately, leaving a temporary blind spot.

More targeted threats may not be covered

Threat intelligence feeds are generally focused on known threats - those that have been observed and documented.

Completely novel attacks or highly customized threats (e.g., targeted attacks) might not be covered until they are observed in the wild.

Bad actors sometimes use evasion techniques

Some advanced threats may use sophisticated evasion techniques that aren't immediately detectable by standard intelligence feeds, especially if they rely on highly specific methods that evade typical detection.

P.S. You can also check Hoxhunt's Tactical Threat Intelligence Report for any threats that your feed misses.

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Reduce noise and remove attacks from employee inboxes with Hoxhunt

No matter what intelligence and filters you have in place, some attacks will inevitably make it to your employees' inboxes.

So how do you defend against the phishing attacks that email filters miss?

Hoxhunt's security operations solutions help reduce load, solve false positives, and remediate attacks from employees’ inboxes.

Harness the power of Hoxhunt's 2 million-strong global threat network to find and remove the phishing campaigns that have been reported by users around the world.

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Threat intelligence feed FAQ

What is a Threat Intel Feed and why is it a critical component of modern cybersecurity?

A Threat Intel Feed, also known as a Threat Intelligence Feed, is a continuous stream of data that provides information about potential and ongoing security threats, such as suspicious domains, malware hashes, and attack signatures.

It is a critical component of modern cybersecurity as it helps organizations stay informed about the latest threats and enables cybersecurity teams to take proactive defensive actions against malicious activities.

How do threat intelligence feeds help in mitigating cybersecurity threats?

Threat intelligence feeds offer actionable threat intelligence by providing real-time alerts and data on a wide range of potential threat types.

This includes data from both public and commercial threat intelligence sources, covering aspects like malicious domains, attack patterns, and observed activity.

Security professionals use this information to detect, analyze, and respond to incoming attacks.

What kind of data is typically included in a Threat Intel Feed?

A Threat Intel Feed includes various forms of threat intelligence such as malware hashes, suspicious domains, threat indicators, and attack traffic data.

This information is gathered from a variety of intelligence sources, including honeypot networks, commercial feeds, and community of threat researchers.

The feed may also include analysis tools and reports on honeypot activity, which are crucial for understanding and mitigating security threats.

Are there different types of threat intelligence feeds available?

Yes, there are various types of threat intelligence feeds available, including Tactical Threat Intelligence, which focuses on immediate threats such as malware and phishing attacks, and strategic feeds that provide a high-level view of the overall cyber threat landscape.

Organizations can choose between public sources, commercial threat intelligence services, or custom threat feeds tailored to their specific needs.

What is the role of human analysts in using threat intelligence feeds?

While threat intelligence feeds automate the gathering and dissemination of data, human analysts play a crucial role in interpreting this data and turning it into actionable threat intelligence.

Forensic analysts, for example, may use the feed to correlate cross-platform event data, while incident responders use the feed to guide their defensive actions.